Lenore J. Devore

Lenore J. “Lee” DeVore, 93, of Ottawa, Kansas passed away Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at Ottawa Retirement Plaza. Friends may pay their respects to Mrs. DeVore at Dengel & Son Mortuary from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. Sunday. Family will meet with friends from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. Monday, September 16, 2013 and process to Highland Cemetery for a graveside service at 11:00 A.M. Lee was born on Friday, July 16, 1920 and raised in the small prairie town of Mont Ida, Kansas, southwest of Garnett. She was the daughter of Ernest and Grace (Hentschel) Robinson. Getting an education beyond grade school was difficult. Education was so important to her that, as a young teenager, she worked for room and board in order to go to Garnett High School, where she graduated in 1939. This led to a lifelong passion for reading. She married Curt DeVore in 1940. They lived most of their married life in rural Franklin County. Lee’s roots in Franklin County ran deep. Her great grandparents Nathan and Julia Whipple were residents of Franklin County in 1865. She was a wonderful wife and mother and a respected member of her community. Lee served on the Pleasant Ridge School Board, Peoria Plodders Home Demonstration Unit, and was a Full O’ Pep 4-H Sewing Leader. Survivors include her three daughters, Kathryn Greenfield and husband Robert of Ottawa, Sherril Unruh of Ottawa, and Jacqueline Tulumello of Northfield, Minnesota; two grandchildren, Mark Gibbs of Ottawa, and Michelle Tulumello and husband Adam Flint of Vestal, New York; two great grandchildren, Mariel and Robin Lenore Flint of Vestal, New York. Lee was preceded in death by her husband, Curtis Lee DeVore; and sister, Leota Wilson. The family suggests memorial contributions to Friends of the Ottawa Library c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, 235 S. Hickory, Ottawa, Kansas 66067. An online Guest Book is available at www.dengelmortuary.com.